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Giving notice of Civil Partnership

Giving notice of Civil Partnership

Please note: Civil Partnership is only available for same sex couples.

By law you have to give a notice of civil partnership, which is a formal declaration of your intention to enter into civil partnership. You are both required to give a notice of civil partnership and there is a standard fee for this. If you live in Manchester you must give notice to the Manchester Registration Service. If either or both of you live in another district, then you must give your notice(s) at your local register office(s) (unless advised otherwise for example, if either of you is a non-EEA National - see information for non-EEA Nationals at the bottom of this page).

Prior to giving notice you must have lived in the district where you are giving notice for a minimum of 7 full days.

Please note that the civil partnership can only be formed at the venue you name on the notice of civil partnership. If you were to change the venue it would be necessary to give, and pay for, fresh notices of civil partnership; so, you need to have chosen your venue before you give notice. More information about the ceremonies and venues available in Manchester can be found using the section links on this page.
(You can provisionally book your ceremony up to two years in advance, if it is taking place in an approved premises in Manchester, or in the Pankhurst Suite at the Manchester Register Office.)

telephone us on 0161 234 5005 (please note that this is a very busy line. If you have difficulty getting through, you can send us an email with your daytime telephone number and we will phone you back as soon as we can email: registeroffice@manchester.gov.uk)

How much notice do we need to give?

You cannot give a notice of civil partnership more than 12 months before the date of formation. A civil partnership cannot be formed until 28 full daysafter you have given the notice. There is now a referral and investigation scheme in place, whereby all non-EEA nationals without settled status, or a marriage or civil partnership visa, will be referred to the Home Office Immigration for further investigation. Please note that if you are unable to provide evidence that you have the appropriate immigration status your case will be referred to the Home Office Immigration for further investigation. Those within scope of the referral scheme may have this waiting period extended from 28 days to 70 days if their case is still being considered. Please note: If your notice is referred for further investigation, staff at the Manchester Register Office will not be able to provide you with any progress reports. You will need to contact the Home Office about your referral at MarriageReferralTeamGeneral@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

What do we need to produce?

You will need to make an appointment online, by phone or by calling in to the office.

2. Passport photographs for each of you if either, or both, of you have a marriage or civil partnership visa or you are in scope of the referral and investigation scheme (see above under how much notice do we need to give)

3. Evidence of name, surname, date of birth and nationality

One of the following original documents (or groups of documents) must be provided, for each person giving notice, at the time of giving notice

A valid passport

A valid national identity card issued by an EEA state or Switzerland

Both a certificate of registration as a British Citizen granted by the Secretary of State and one of the first six documents listed under “4. Evidence of place of residence”, below.

If born in the UK before 1 January 1983 – both a birth certificate and one of the first six documents listed under “4. Evidence of place of residence”, below.

If born in the UK on or after 1 January 1983 – all of the following must be provided - a full birth certificate showing parents details and one of the first six documents listed under “4. Evidence of place of residence”, below, and evidence of either parents’ British Citizenship or settled status at the time of the person's birth (e.g. a passport describing the relevant parent as a British citizen or indicating that he or she had indefinite leave to enter or remain). If British Citizenship is claimed through the person’s father, the parents’ marriage certificate will also need to be provided.

A valid biometric immigration document

A valid travel document

4. Evidence of place of residence

One of the following original documents must be provided, for each person giving notice, at the time of giving notice. (Please note this must be evidence of the address you have resided at for a minimum of 7 full days immediately prior to the date on which notice of civil partnership is given. For example, if you are entering the country from abroad on the first of the month, the first possible date to give notice would be the 9th. If you are unclear about this, please contact the Ceremony Team and we'll be happy to help you to work out the correct date to give notice.)

A utility bill dated no more than three months before the date of notice

A bank or building society statement or passbook dated no more than one month before the date of notice. If you use on-line banking you can print a copy of your most recent statement and show the officer that you are able to log into your account on-line using your mobile phone, ipad etc. Alternatively you can order a bank statement from the bank prior to your appointment.

A council tax bill dated no more than one year before the date of notice

A mortgage statement dated no more than one year before the date of notice

A current residential tenancy agreement

A valid driving licence

A letter from the owner or proprietor of the address which is the person’s place of residence, which confirms that the person has resided at the address for a minimum of 7 full days immediately prior to the date on which notice of civil partnership is given. The letter must also state the full name and address of the person writing the letter and that the person writing the letter is the owner or proprietor, and it needs to be signed and dated by that person.

5. Evidence of ending a previous marriage or civil partnership

One of the following original documents must be provided, for each person giving notice, where relevant, at the time of giving notice.

A decree absolute or decree of nullity of marriage granted by a court of civil jurisdiction in England or Wales

A dissolution order or nullity order obtained in England or Wales in accordance with part 2 of the Civil Partnership Act 2004

A document or documents, confirming divorce, annulment or dissolution outside the UK. (Please note: as of 1 November 2017 we are legally required to take a fee for all divorces / dissolutions that took place outside of the British Isles. The fee is for the consideration of the document and does not guarantee that the document will be approved. Some divorces / dissolutions will be approved at your notice appointment and the fee for this is £50.00. However, in a lot of cases the documentation will need to be considered by the General Register Office and the fee for this is £75.00. Unfortunately we are unable to determine which fee will be payable until you provide the documentation at your appointment.)

A death certificate. Note: If the person giving notice isn’t mentioned on the death certificate as the spouse or civil partner, a marriage or civil partnership certificate will also be required

6. If you have changed your name by deed poll or statutory declaration you will need to provide those documents.

Please note: All documentation must be original. We cannot accept photocopied documentation.

Where any document listed above was created outside the UK and is not in English, a full third party translation must be provided. The person who provides the translation must include a statement to confirm that it is a true translation of the document and must sign and date it and include their name and contact details (address and telephone number).

If either you or your partner are subject to immigration control, you must both give notice, together, at a Designated Register Office. Manchester Register Office has been given the status of Designated Register Office by the Home Office.

A full list of Designated Register Offices in England and Wales can be found on the Gov.uk website.

Immediately prior to giving notice you must have lived in one district within England or Wales for a minimum of 7 full days. (For example, if you are entering the country from abroad on the first of the month, the first possible date to give notice would be the 9th. If you are unclear about this, please contact the Ceremony Team and we'll be happy to help you to work out the correct date to give notice.)Please note you cannot move between districts in the 7 full days immediately prior to the date on which notice of civil partnership is given.

Before making an appointment to give notice, please make sure that you have read and understood all the information on this page, particularly the information, above, about what you need to bring with you to the notice appointment.

Visa requirements

Please note: if you are entering the UK for the purpose of marrying or entering into civil partnership you must check with the UKVI that you have the correct visa to do so; this would usually be a marriage or civil partnership visa. Officers at Manchester Registration Service are unable to offer any advice regarding immigration matters.

Abuse of immigration laws

We are working with the Home Office to identify marriages and civil partnerships which seek to abuse UK immigration laws.

Anybody found to be arranging, facilitating or entering into a marriage or civil partnership solely to gain permission to stay in the UK risks arrest or prosecution. Foreign nationals may also face deportation and be barred from re-entering the UK for up to 14 years.